Vice Presidential Polls Underway: Modi Casts First Vote, Radhakrishnan Seen as Front-Runner

New Delhi: India’s 15th Vice Presidential election began this morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading by example as the first Member of Parliament to cast his ballot. Voting opened at 10 a.m. in Parliament House, with lawmakers from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha participating in the high-profile contest.

The ruling NDA has fielded Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader and current Governor of Maharashtra, while the opposition’s INDIA bloc has backed Justice (retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge known for his long judicial service.

The election comes less than two months after Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down as Vice President on July 21 citing health issues, creating the rare mid-term vacancy.

Union Minister Suresh Gopi, speaking on the sidelines of voting, said, “This election is not about choosing between individuals. It is about upholding fairness, truthfulness, and effectiveness. Among the thousands of workers in our ideological stream, I have found CP Radhakrishnan to be one of the finest.”

Both the NDA and the opposition had conducted mock polls earlier to ensure MPs were clear on ballot procedures and avoid invalid votes. The results of the poll will be counted and announced later this evening.

With numbers stacked in its favour, the NDA is confident of a comfortable win. According to estimates, Radhakrishnan commands the support of around 427 MPs, significantly above the majority mark of 391. In the Lok Sabha alone, he is expected to secure 293 votes, while about 134 are projected in his favour in the Rajya Sabha.